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Curious Questions: Are flamenco's finest the fastest dancers in the world?
Spain's national dance, flamenco, is astonishing in its drama, spectacle and sheer speed. But how fast do they really go? Martin Fone, author of 50 Curious Questions, investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why does nobody know where Christopher Columbus is buried?
He's one of the most famous human beings ever to walk the planet, but the final resting place of the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus remains shrouded in mystery. Martin Fone, author of 50 Curious Questions, investigates.
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Curious Questions: Do delicious hams from little acorns grow?
Jamón Iberico is undeniably delicious – and undeniably pricey. Martin Fone took a trip to Spain to find out how it gets that way.
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Curious Questions: Why is walking down the middle of the road called 'jaywalking'?
The ubiquity and addictiveness of the smartphone has meant that now more than ever pedestrians blunder into the street, unaware of the traffic around them. But where did jaywalking get its odd name? Martin Fone explains all.
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Curious Questions: How did Abraham Lincoln come to be the only US president to hold a patent?
Statesman, lawyer, fearless leader – and part-time inventor. Martin Fone looks at one of Abraham Lincoln's lesser-known talents.
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Curious Questions: Why is the Green Room called the Green Room?
Whether you're performing a play or about to go on television, the waiting room is called the Green Room – but why is that? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: How did Galileo take the credit for inventing the telescope despite being beaten to it by two Dutchmen and an Englisman?
Every schoolboy knows that Galileo Galilei invented the telescope. There's only one issue with that: he didn't. Yet what what he did do is arguably even more extraordinary.
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Curious Questions: What is the biggest potato ever grown?
As harvests come in across Britain, we always enjoy pictures of giant vegetables appearing at various shows. But the tale of the biggest of the lot is absolutely fascinating. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Does throwing a snail stop it from returning to your garden?
The oldest gardeners' remedy for getting rid of snails is also the simplest: throw them as far away as you can. But is it just an old wives' tale? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why don't woodpeckers hurt their heads?
Woodpeckers submit their poor heads to punishment which would devastate most creatures, yet as far as we know they fly off quite happily after hammering away at tree trunks. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why aren't there any measures for smell and taste?
Modern humans meticulously measure everything from the widths of atoms to primary school exam results, but have no equivalent for two of our most important senses. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why do actors say ‘break a leg’?
The best-known phrase for wishing an actor luck is also the most baffling. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: How do you take a group photo in which nobody is blinking?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that whenever a group photograph is taken, there is always at least someone who manages to be snapped with closed eyes. But does it have to be that way? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: What is the perfect hangover cure?
If there's a definite answer, it's time we knew. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why do you wake up just before the alarm goes off?
It's uncanny how often we open our eyes just before the alarm clock springs into life – but is it coincidence or is there something more at play? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why do we still use the QWERTY keyboard?
The strange layout of keyboards in the Anglophone world is as bafflingly illogical. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Can you actually compare apples and oranges?
It's repeated so often these days that we've come to regard it as a truism, but are apples and oranges really that different? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Do you get wetter running or walking in the rain?
Does running in the rain get you out of it quicker? Or do you just run into more water more quickly Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Why is a day divided into twenty-four hours?
We've been counting things in convenient chunks of ten for thousands of years, so why on earth is a day divided into 24 hours? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Do carrots really help you see in the dark?
We've all been given the familiar advice by parents anxious to get us eating our vegetables, but is there any truth in it?
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Curious Questions: What is the world’s most painful insect sting – and where would it hurt the most?
Can you calibrate the intensity of different insect stings? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
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Curious Questions: Are bees really busy?
We've all used the phrase 'busy as a bee' – but is it justified? Or are bees just as liable to laze around as they are to work their little furry socks off?
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Curious Questions: Why does freshly-mown grass smell so good?
Nothing says 'Spring is here' better than that wonderful aroma of newly-cut lawn. Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', explains why it smells so good.
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Curious Questions: How do you make the perfect cream scone?
Everybody loves a good cream tea – but is there a secret to its centrepiece, the perfect cream scone? Martin Fone, author of 'Fifty Curious Questions', investigates.
